


Kiss Me Not

by LdyAnne



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsmooch, Drama, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-20
Updated: 2011-08-20
Packaged: 2017-10-22 21:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/242753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyAnne/pseuds/LdyAnne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Sheppard is taken by Wraith worshippers , Rodney waits for Sheppard's return.  Written for the Mcsmooch community on LJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Me Not

Rodney kept his comm tuned to the team channel, just because he was grounded for a few weeks with a broken ankle didn't mean he was dead. So he heard the call when it came through.

"Colonel Shephard, can your team be ready to go out in 20 minutes?" Woolsey asked, briskly efficient.

"What's up?" Sheppard responded in his laid-back drawl. His voice was breathy though, and he sounded a little grateful.

Sparring with Teyla, Rodney thought with a grin. He could see John in his mind's eye, all sweaty and on his knees, Teyla's sticks at his throat.

"Lorne's team is late. They've missed two check-ins now."

"That's not like Lorne. He's not even late turning in his paperwork."

"That's what I thought," Woolsey agreed. "That's why I'm calling you. I thought you might want to go check on him."

"Thanks," Sheppard said. There was a brief pause, then Rodney heard, "Ronon, you got that?"

"Yeah," Ronon replied, "I'm on my way."

"I'm with Teyla in the gym," Sheppard said confirming Rodney's sparring theory. "We'll be ready to go in 10."

Rodney already had his crutches under his arm. He was through the door before Sheppard was even finished speaking.

"I'll be in command," he threw over his shoulder to Zelenka as the door slid shut behind him.

Rodney hated crutches with the flaming passion of a thousand suns. They were clunky and clumsy and they dug uncomfortably under his arms. Carson assured him that he'd get used to them, but Rodney had his doubts. What did Carson know anyway? He wouldn't even give Rodney the good drugs after the first day.

"Stay off your foot and it won't hurt as much," Carson had tsked disapprovingly as he poked at Rodney's foot.

"I'll stay off it if you can convince my minions not to blow us up. But if you want to live to poke and prod another day, then I'll be walking on the foot." Rodney glared at him, but Carson was immune to Rodney's glare of death, so he was stuck with the crutches and ibuprofen.

Rodney crutched along as fast as he could. Even so, he barely made it to command ahead of Sheppard and his team.

He met Sheppard outside the conference room. Sheppard took a look at him and frowned. "You're not coming with us."

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm not. This is a rescue mission. But I'm still a part of the team aren't I? I can come to the briefing if I want." It was impossible to cross his arms while he was balanced on crutches, but he tilted his chin up, silently daring Sheppard to tell him no.

Sheppard smirked at him, "Well, sure, Rodney, if you think you can make it that far." He swept his arm in an expansive gesture to let Rodney enter the conference room before him.

Teyla, Ronon and Woolsey were already there. Rodney realized that Sheppard had been waiting for him.

"Glad you could make it," Ronon grinned at him as Rodney shuffled over to the table and awkwardly lowered himself into a seat. Sheppard slid into the seat beside him.

It was the only moment of levity as they quickly briefed on the planet that Lorne and his team was visiting.

"There shouldn't have been any problems," Woolsey started as he passed out neat little packets which none of them even bothered to open. "We've traded with these people many times before without any problems. They've always seemed very pleasant and friendly."

"Those are the ones you have to watch out for," Rodney mumbled. Sheppard nudged him with an elbow but didn't say anything.

"How long has it been since they've checked in?" Sheppard asked. He leaned forward, his attention focused solely on Woolsey. John took his duties as military commander very seriously. You didn't take one of his people and you didn't hurt them.

Woolsey shifted in his chair, uncomfortably. "It's been 24 hours actually."

"What?" Sheppard was out of his chair like a shot. "Why didn't you call me when he missed the first check-in?"

"Calm down, Colonel." Woolsey shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable. "The major told me himself that he would probably miss the first check in. I guess these people have some sort of welcoming feast whenever anyone from Atlantis arrives to trade. He says that most teams usually miss the first check in."

"Did you call them when they missed the check in?" Sheppard bit out. Rodney could tell that he wanted to go now and bring his people home. It was only the need to have all the information possible that was keeping him in the room.

"We did," Woolsey nodded, glancing at Teyla and Ronon out of the corner of his eye. Nervously, Rodney thought. "But Major Lorne said that there was something on the planet that interfered with our radios, we probably wouldn't get through."

Rodney frowned at that. "Did we know about this?" he asked. "Our teams should never be out of contact with Atlantis."

"In a perfect world, that would be the case," Woolsey said. "But I have come to find out that life is rarely perfect. We have been trading with these people for a long time now and there's never been any trouble..."

"There is now," Sheppard bit out.

"John, I know the people Mr. Woolsey is speaking of. They are a good, kind people. If something has happened to Major Lorne and his team, it is not their doing," Teyla said firmly.

"Then we need to be out there finding them, instead of in here talking ourselves to death," Ronon rumbled.

"I'm with you, big guy," Sheppard nodded. Evidently the talking was done. "We'll be ready to leave in five," John said.

Teyla and Ronon both nodded.

"Be careful," Rodney said, suddenly anxious that *his* team was going out without him.

"You, too," Ronon grinned at him. "I've heard those crutches can be pretty dangerous." Then he and Teyla left to finish gearing up.

Woolsey looked from John to Rodney and then back again expectantly as if he expected someone to say something more. John coughed and Woolsey started.

"I... uhm... I guess I'd better get going then, to do uhm... I have things to do." He rose and left the room as quickly as possible. Rodney could have sworn that the tips of his ears were red.

Rodney turned to Sheppard to find him slouched in his chair.

"Aren't you going?" he asked. "There's rescuing to be done, John Sheppard is the only one who can do it."

"Well, yeah, Rodney, it's my job." Sheppard's voice was weirdly gentle. Rodney didn't find it comforting, it just made him mad. He wished he had brought his computer so he could throw it. Or on second thought – his coffee mug. That wouldn't break when he threw it against the wall; just make a hell of a satisfying mess.

"There are other people who can rescue Lorne as well as you. Marines. Who are trained for this I might add." Rodney refused to look at Sheppard.

So Sheppard blindsided him by putting a gentle hand on his cheek. "Come on, Rodney, you know I can't do that. This is one of our people."

Despite himself, Rodney leaned into the hand, letting the warmth soak in. "I know, but I can't go with you." It came out more plaintive than he'd meant for it to sound.

"I know, buddy, and I'd like nothing more than for you to be there with us watching our six, but you can't this time."

"Damn foot," Rodney mumbled.

"So, you keep the gate in working order because I have a feeling we're going to be coming in hot," Sheppard leaned in until they were touching foreheads Athosian style. Except he'd never felt like this about Teyla.

"John," he started.

Sheppard put a finger across his lips. He leaned in to replace the finger with his mouth. At the last moment, Rodney turned his head.

"Rodney?" Sheppard hissed. "I don't have time for games. I need to get out there and go rescue Lorne."

"Well, then, go," Rodney hissed back. "Don't let me stop you."

"I was trying to kiss you good buy," Sheppard huffed.

"I got that," Rodney said in as pissy a voice as he could manage. "Forgive me if I don't want our last kiss to be the one good bye."

"Rodney," Sheppard paused and huffed out an aggrieved breath, "I swear, McKay, sometimes you make me crazy. It's not going to be our last kiss."

Rodney shrugged unhappily. He *wanted* to kiss John good bye. They'd been together for awhile now, since the end of DADT, but this was the first time that John would be going off-world without him. Rodney found that he was a little superstitious about it. He was pretty sure that no one could watch John's back as well as he did, not even Teyla and Ronon. It didn't feel right to him, that John was called to go off-world now, while Rodney was grounded.

"Rodney," John drawled, designed to drive him crazy. "Come on, I've got to go."

"No," Rodney said firmly. "I'll kiss you when you get back, but I won't kiss you goodbye. It feels too... final."

"McKay," there was warmth and affection in John's voice. The hand on his cheek caressed it gently. "Alright, Rodney, have it your way. Come and wave good bye to Teyla and Ronon, or is that too final for you, too?" John couldn't resist the jab.

"Oh, no, I'm sure they'll be alright. It's the flyboy colonel with the crazy hair, I worry about," Rodney ranted as he levered himself to his feet. "Everyone wants you for your gene and your hair and have you even looked in a mirror lately? You're too hot for your own good, and you don't know it. If you don't come back..." Rodney clamped his mouth shut, horrified at what was coming out of it, even for him.

"Hey," John steadied him with a hand on his elbow. "It's alright, Rodney, I'm coming back. You just be ready with that welcome back kiss. Okay?" John studied him for a moment.

Rodney nodded. He brushed past John to the door, pausing to look back over his shoulder. "Coming?" he asked querulously before crutching out to watch over the rail as his team departed – without him.

"They'll be alright," Woolsey tried to assure him.

The gate was as blue as ever when it splashed into place. Rodney thought it had an ominous hue to it today. He longed to call out to John and tell him not to go. But he couldn't do that. John wouldn't do that. And John wouldn't be the man Rodney loved if he did.

Rodney sighed, "I'm sure they will be," he said, his eyes never leaving John as he checked Teyla and Ronon's equipment one last time. They checked his and then they were ready to go.

John turned to look back up at Rodney before he went through the wormhole. He gave Rodney a small smile and wave.

Rodney couldn't help himself, he called down, "Be careful." Then John was gone, the wormhole rippling behind him before winking out of existence.

Rodney was hit by a sudden sense of Déjà vu. He remembered watching a similar scene five years ago, the day they arrived in Pegasus. Only it was Elizabeth standing in Rodney's place as John followed Sumner through the gate. Now Elizabeth and Sumner were dead, along with many others that arrived with them that day. Ford was a changed man and missing and Carson was a clone. Rodney shivered, wishing that he'd kissed John goodbye. He clung to the rail, not saying a word, afraid that, if he opened his mouth, he was going to be sick.

It was three hours later before the gate activated again.

Three hours during which Rodney refused to leave the gate room. No matter the nagging from Carson to, "stay off your damn foot before I have to cut it off," and Chuck's, "really, sir, I'll call you if I hear anything."

Even Woolsey tried to get him to leave. "I'm sure that everything's alright and they'll be back any minute," he said.

Rodney turned to stare at him in astonishment, "Are you living in the same galaxy we are? Because nothing is ever alright." Rodney glared at the gate, trying to activate it by the sheer force of his will. It didn't. He sighed.

Turning his back on Woolsey he went back to the diagnostic he'd been working on. He felt Chuck's rolled eyes and the shrug of his shoulders that Woolsey gave.

"Don't you two have something productive to do?" he huffed.

"Well, I do," Chuck replied, his tone one of thinly veiled snark "but wait. There's someone running a diagnostic at my station."

Rodney was just warming up for a really good rant when the gate engaged. Almost instantaneously the shield activated.

"We're coming in hot," Sheppard's voice exploded into the gate room over their comms.

Chuck took Rodney's chair, pushing him out of the way, his fingers flying over the control console. Rodney was too grateful to hear Sheppard's voice to complain.

"Colonel Sheppard's IDC," Chuck confirmed.

"Let them in," Woolsey called as he hurried down the stairs.

Rodney knew if he tried to get down the stairs he'd fall flat on his face in his hurry, so he settled for standing at the rail. It had the added advantage of being out of the line of fire as weapons fire came through the open gate once the gate shield was lowered.

SFs stood at the ready, ducking out of the way of the wild shots pouring through the gate.

Rodney counted the bodies as they hurled through the gate.

First was Lorne, leaning on Teyla. He had a bloody cut over one eye and he was limping, but he gave a thumbs up as he came through the gate. He and Teyla threw themselves to one side to get out of the way of other bodies coming through the gate.

There was a wet slurp as the rest of Lorne's team came running through. They were rumpled and Rodney could see visible bruises on their arms and face, but they were upright and moving under their own power.

Just two more now.

Ronon stepped through the gate, turning to confront any unwanted visitors who might try to following him. He didn't flinch as the shots continued to come through the gate.

There was an expectant pause as everyone waited for Sheppard to step through.

Rodney clutched the rail so tightly his knuckles were white.

With a dramatic whoosh the wormhole disengaged.

The silence after the din of the chaos was almost painful. Rodney stared at the gate, not able to process that John hadn't made it through. Even though the gate had shut down, he kept expecting John to come bounding through.

It was Woolsey who asked the question. "Where's Sheppard?"

Ronon took a step forward as if to go back through the gate, "He was right behind me."

"I don't know if you've noticed, but there's no Colonel Sheppard there," Rodney informed him scathingly.

Ronon's whole body tensed, "I shouldn't have left without him."

"No shit, Sherlock. You remember what happened to him the last time he got left behind?" Rodney thought he was going to throw up just from the memory of watching the wraith feed on Sheppard. They... Sheppard couldn't go through that again.

Ronon pulled his weapon and whirled. Rodney ducked thinking that Ronon had finally lost his mind and was going to kill him.

But Ronon just called, "Dial the gate, I'm going back for him."

"You can't do that," Lorne objected. He stepped forward, keeping most of his weight on his right leg. "It was wraith worshippers that grabbed us. They're probably waiting on the other side of the gate, just hoping someone will come back to rescue Sheppard so they can grab them, too."

Ronon growled. Everyone near him took a step back. "Let them try. I'll do to them what I've done to the wraith who've tried to take me."

"I like your attitude, big guy," Lorne didn't step away from him, he put an arm on Ronon's shoulder. "Let me get patched up and then we'll take a jumper and a platoon of marines and we'll go postal on their wraith-worshipping asses."

Rodney whole-heartedly agreed with that plan. "I'm going with you," he declared.

All eyes turned to Rodney. He did his best to not let it show how much his foot was aching, even though he was now using the rail to keep himself upright. But no way were they getting through the gate without him.

"Rodney, you are in no condition to go through the gate." Rodney hated it when Teyla used her compassionate I-know-you-think-you-can-do-this-but-you-so-can't voice.

"I am going," he repeated stubbornly.

"Dr. McKay," Woolsey started.

Teyla shook her head and ran up the stairs so she could speak to Rodney directly instead of shouting so everyone in the complex could hear them.

"It will not help John if we are slowed down by you," she said. While her words hurt, they were said with such gentle compassion, Rodney couldn't take offense.

He glared at everyone staring up at him before giving in, "Yeah, okay."

It didn't help that his leg gave out on him at that point and he fell backwards onto his ass. Half of the medical team that had responded for Lorne and his team made their way up the stairs to Rodney's side. He kept his lips locked tight against the bitter diatribe that threatened to spew forth. It would only slow everyone down. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Rodney refused to let them take him to the infirmary though. Lorne didn't go either. He said that he was fine and brushed Carson off when the doctor insisted that the major go to the infirmary for a more thorough check.

"I'm fine, Doc," Lorne snapped when Carson took his arm to lead him to a gurney. "Sheppard was taken because he came to rescue me. I'll come to the infirmary when he's home."

Rodney was of a like mind. He frowned at the doctor who came to try and lead him to a gurney. "Leave me alone," he hissed. He scooted back until he hit the rail of the balcony. "You heard the man, I'm not going anywhere until Sheppard's home." And Rodney could give him his damn kiss. He was pretty sure this was his fault. Some god or demon or minion of fate was laughing their ass off at Rodney right now.

Carson waved the other doctor away. He knelt down beside Rodney.

"Now don't work yourself into a state," he said in his calm-the-crazy-man voice.

"I haven't even begun to work myself into a state," Rodney gathered himself to stand, but Carson pushed him back down. "I'm not going to the infirmary," Rodney growled at him.

"And I'm not going to make you," Carson soothed. "I'm just going to give you a little something to ease your pain." So saying, he pulled a syringe from his pocket, like he knew what kind of state he'd find Rodney in. He rolled up Rodney's sleeve and inserted the medication.

"What if he doesn't come back?" Rodney asked, the bleakness threatening to sweep through him. John had been his best friend before he'd become Rodney's lover. Rodney couldn't imagine his life without John at his side.

"It's not going to happen," Carson said, his manner brisk and efficient as he took Rodney's pulse and checked his blood pressure. "It's a little high, but that's not a wonder," he commented dryly. "Now then," he said sternly, "I'll let you stay, but you have to promise me you'll sit, or at least sit part of the time." Carson abandoned his calm demeanor and threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, who am I trying to fool, you're a bloody idiot and you're not going to stay sitting. Just call me if you're in too much pain and don't do anything stupid, like going through the gate."

"They won't let me," Rodney spat out bitterly.

"Well, I'm glad to know someone around here has some sense." Carson stood offering a hand down to Rodney. Rodney took it and the doctor pulled him up, steadying him until Rodney found his balance again.

"Here," he offered Rodney his crutches. He squeezed Rodney's arm in reassurance, "Call me if you need anything," he said before rushing away to bully Lorne into sitting down while someone else prepped the jumper and made sure a strike force was put together.

Activity swirled around Rodney, and all he could do was sit and let other people do what needed to be done. John was out there lost without him. And there was nothing Rodney could do about it.

Lorne, along with Ronon, Teyla and the marines had returned to the planet just 20 minutes after they'd left it. There'd been no sign of John or his captors.

"Pretty sure they went through the gate," Ronon said with a sideways look at Rodney.

Rodney nodded, keeping his mind on the immediate problem – getting John home, that was the only thing he could think about. Because when he let his mind wander to think about what might be happening to John, he just kept seeing that wraith with his hand on John's chest, sucking the life out of him. Rodney refused to think that was even a possibility now.

He'd turned over a new leaf since he and John were together. He was doing his best to see the positive side of things, no matter how difficult. And he was positive John was coming home. It was the only possibility he could accept.

"You need to take Zelenka and pull the gate addresses off the DHD," Rodney said, needing to contribute in some way, anyway. "We might get lucky and get an address where we can look for him."

Lorne waggled a computer at him, "Already did it. Radek taught all of us how to do it, in case we needed..."

Rodney didn't even listen. He snatched the computer from Lorne's hands, connecting it with his own and began running the data.

The hours passed slowly.

Rodney kept working, doing diagnostics on the equipment, running equations on his laptop that Radek had brought up, fixing the squeak in Chuck's chair that had been driving him crazy for ages but he'd just never had the time before to fix it. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that no one could find John Sheppard.

Teams kept coming back empty, their mouths tighter each time they returned without Sheppard, their bodies tenser and more tightly strung.

It grew quieter and quieter in the control room. People spoke to Rodney quietly and gently until he'd had enough.

"Stop this. Stop this now," he screamed at them when Teyla brought him a power bar and a bottle of water. "He's not dead, so just stop it."

"Of course he's not," Teyla answered calmly refusing to back down in the face of his anger. It was one of the things Rodney liked best about her. It was also one of the things he disliked most about her. "That is why you must take care of yourself. You would not want him to return and find that you are ill because you were worried about him."

Rodney realized that Teyla was right. His hands had been shaking for awhile and his foot was a mass of pain that made it almost impossible for him to think.

He accepted the power bar with a quiet, "Thank you, Teyla. Would you ask Carson if he'll bring me something for the pain?"

"Of course I will," she answered, bending her head down to touch their foreheads together. Rodney was warmed inexplicably by the gentle act. Teyla was his friend, he knew that, but he always thought that it was because of Sheppard that she was his friend, but that small act alone told him how much Teyla cared for him as himself, not just as an extension of John or because of his friendship with John.

It was all too much, Rodney was pretty sure he was going to break down and cry at any moment. Then he'd have to kill everyone in the gate room that saw it.

"Teyla, maybe I should take a break," he whispered to her.

"That is an excellent idea," she smiled at him approvingly.

"Can you help me up?" He was embarrassed to find that he couldn't get out of the chair. His foot was screaming at him, and he needed to get away from all the staring eyes.

Carefully Teyla levered him to his feet, maneuvering the crutches so that he could get them under his arms. They were turning away when the gate sprang to life.

Rodney wrenched himself away from here and crutched over to the rail as fast as he could. There was no one out at the moment, all the teams had returned. They were regrouping trying to decide what their next course of action should be. Staring at the gate Rodney willed Sheppard to walk through it, Rodney realized that the shield was up.

"You've got to take the shield down," he shouted at Chuck.

"Hold on there, Mr. Campbell," Woolsey frowned at Rodney. "What if this isn't Sheppard? What if the wraith worshippers who took him got the Atlantis address out of him and are now coming to take the city?"

"Oh, please," Rodney spat scornfully. "They've only had Sheppard for 12 hours. They'd have to have him for a lot longer than that before they could get anything useful out of him. Besides what are SFs for? Let them have a little fun sometimes."

Below him, the marines, who had spread out to cover the gate, nodded their agreement.

Lorne, who had followed Woolsey out of the conference room, backed Rodney up.

"Sheppard doesn't have his GDO with him. There's no way of knowing if this is him or not, but do you really want to take that chance?" Lorne leaned over Chuck. He was going to press the button that lowered the shield with or without Woolsey's permission. "I don't"

Woolsey grabbed his wrist, holding it tightly. "There's no need to do anything stupid, Major," he said dryly. "I was going to give the order to lower the shield right after I told security to be ready for whatever came through the gate." Woolsey nodded at Chuck who pushed the button.

The shield over the gate shimmered once and then disappeared.

Rodney crutched over to the stairs, Teyla on one side, Ronon on the other. He made his way down the stairs, one slow painful step at a time. His team kept pace with him and steadied him when he wobbled. They got to the bottom of the staircase and still no one had come through the gate.

Rodney stood with the marines, Ronon and Teyla at his side.

"What's taking him so long?" Rodney muttered.

"I am sure he will come through as soon as he is able," Teyla said serenely. She never took her eyes off the shimmer of the wormhole.

"He probably stopped to pick up pizza," came from Ronon.

They all turned to stare at the Satedan. He just shrugged and gave a lop-sided grin.

There was a wet slurp and a figure stepped through the gate. It was silent for a brief shocked moment when everyone realized that it was, indeed, John Sheppard. Then a roar went up as everyone began to cheer.

Rodney only had eyes for John. He was dirty and covered in mud and blood, someone else's Rodney fervently hoped. One eye was swollen shut and there was a cut in his hair line that was still bleeding down the side of his face. He had his right arm tucked into his body and he was leaning to the left. He looked filthy and beaten, and, yet, he was the most beautiful sight Rodney had ever seen.

Rodney stepped into him but stopped short, afraid to touch him.

Sheppard smirked at him, "Hey, don't I get my welcome home kiss," his voice raspy and rough.

"Oh, god," Rodney breathed, and then he gathered John in, gently pressing their lips together, afraid of damaging him further, but unable to stay away.

Rodney was dimly aware of the shout that went up behind them, of the cat calls and the cheers. Everyone knew that John and Rodney were a couple since the end of DADT, but they were both private people, they'd never indulged in public displays of affection – until today.

But this was a special day. John Sheppard had come home alive.

John's mouth tasted of copper and his lips were chapped, but he kissed Rodney back eagerly, pressing against him as much as he could. They kissed until they had to pull back for air and then they just leaned on each other, holding each other.

"Welcome home," Rodney breathed into John's hair.

"Had to come home," John whispered, "you owed me a kiss."

Rodney couldn't help it; he kissed John again, needing to feel the warmth of his mouth, the press of their bodies together.

"Yeah," John sighed, "just like that." He swayed and Rodney caught him as he sagged forward. "Think I'm ready to go to the infirmary now," he mumbled as his eyes rolled backwards.

Ronon jumped in to try and steady them both as Rodney tried to hold up John's weight and his own on his crutches. He was too late as John's extra weight threw Rodney off-balance and Rodney stepped down on his broken ankle to try and keep them both from crashing to the floor.

Pain flared through Rodney, stealing his breath, causing everything around him to go white. He didn't remember hitting the ground, John's body clutched close.

~~~~~

Rodney woke hours later. Even though it was dark he knew he was in the infirmary from the antiseptic smell alone. Every infirmary he'd ever been in had that smell. There was also the steady rhythm of a nearby heart monitor that told him he was in the infirmary and the uncomfortable bed that he slept on. He was certain that Carson made sure the beds were as uncomfortable as possible to encourage his patients to leave as quickly as possible.

He peered around trying to remember why he was in the infirmary. When he caught sight of John in the bed next to his, it all came crashing back. He struggled to sit up; the heart monitor's rhythm speeding up to match his own.

Carson appeared from his office. There was a crease along the side of his face that looked like it was caused by his computer. When he saw Rodney trying to get out of bed he scowled at him before rushing to Rodney's side.

"Stop that now, you're going to wake everyone up," he scolded in a quiet voice, his voice pitched low and soothing.

"John?" Rodney asked, unable to tell John's condition from his sleeping form.

"He was bunged up, that's for sure, but he'll be alright in a day or two." Carson turned off the heart monitor for which Rodney was grateful. "If he can get his rest and not be woken up in the middle of the night," Carson continued. "And you need your sleep, too. You'd worked yourself up into a fine state by the time you made it down here."

"And whose fault is that?" Rodney demanded, glaring at Carson. "You're the one who let me work myself into that state," he asserted.

Carson didn't deny it; he just gave a shake of his head and inserted something into Rodney's IV. "That should help you rest," he said before slipping away to return to his office and his illicit relation with his computer. Rodney would yell at him tomorrow for sleeping on his equipment. Tonight he had a mission.

He waited a moment or two to make sure Carson had settled down, then he shifted in his bed carefully untangling himself from lines and monitors. He was glad that Carson had turned the heart monitor off, or his plan would never have had a chance of succeeding.

He pulled the leads off his chest that were connecting him to the machine. He pulled the IV from his arm and sat up. When the room stayed in place, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He didn't see his crutches, but he wasn't planning on going far, so he wouldn't need them.

He slid off the bed. Carefully he put his weight on his good leg, and it held okay. The pain in his foot was distant enough that he knew he was on the good drugs. At last. He hobbled across the space between his bed and John's, terrified that at any moment Carson would come out of his office and banish Rodney back to his bed.

Finally he made the three steps necessary so that he was standing next to John's bed. He saw a glimmer of an eye peaking up at him.

"Hey," John whispered when he saw that it was Rodney standing at his bedside.

Rodney slid his hand into John's.

"Hey, yourself."

"Sorry about earlier."

Rodney tightened his hold on John's hand, "Like you meant to get taken by wraith worshippers," he whispered back fiercely.

"Well, no, but still..."

"Besides you're not allowed to leave the city without me ever again," Rodney told him.

John smiled up at him, "Whatever you say, Rodney."

Rodney knew when he was being placated. John would do it again. He'd go out of the city and risk himself for those people that he held as his own. There would be nothing that Rodney could do about it except wait for him to come home, to be there for him when he returned to welcome him home.

John squeezed his fingers, then murmured, "You need to go back to bed. Carson's right, you look beat."

"Yeah, okay," Rodney nodded. But he didn't head back to his bed right away; there was something he had to do first. He leaned down and kissed John, just a gentle goodnight kiss. John sighed into his mouth, returning the kiss as well as he was able.

"What was that for?" John asked as Rodney pulled away.

Rodney smiled down at John, "Just a kiss good bye, I'm never passing up a chance to kiss you ever again," he promised.


End file.
